CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA
by jekkah
Summary: With Erin sad that her children aren't with her for Christmas, Penelope is determined to this Christmas an event to remember. Light M rating. Written for Christmas for pandorabox82! (hints of JJ/Hotch)


_Author's Note: So, my best girl, Stephanie (**pandorabox82**) and I decided to exchange fics as Christmas gifts this year. Her picked pairing was Strauss/Garcia and her prompts were "ow about baking Christmas food (not necessarily cookies, it's up to you), Victorian Christmas carolers, and collecting charity donations." Her song was "In the Bleak Midwinter," which I hadn't heard before, but ended up really loving! _

_Happy Holidays, Stephanie! I hope you enjoy your gift!_

**CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA**

"Are you ready for our Christmas extravaganza?" Penelope Garcia asked, excitedly as she bounced into the office of the BAU Section Chief and her girlfriend of a little over a year.

Erin Strauss sighed. "I'm not sure this is such a good idea, Penelope. I have so much work that I need to catch up on."

Penelope put a hand on her hip. "No. Absolutely not. We have the next three days off and we are going to take them." She lunged forward, pulling Erin from her seat. Penelope kissed her fiercely. "I know you're sad that the kids aren't going to be here for Christmas, but we did have them for Thanksgiving so it's only fair that they spend this time with their dad."

"I know. It's not like they're not all coming in a few weeks to celebrate," Erin agreed.

"Exactly. So, we get to have our super fun, kinda sexy Christmas now," Penelope pinched Erin's nipple through her red blouse and the bra underneath, "and the sweet family Christmas in a few weeks. It's the best of both worlds."

Erin moaned as Penelope nuzzled her neck. "If you don't stop that, we're never going to get out of here."

Penelope licked her. "I can't help it. You are just so delicious." She pulled away completely. "Come on, we have to be outside of the store at seven. Those toys aren't going to collect themselves."

Clutching Erin's hand, Penelope gathered her things and dragged her out of the office, through the BAU, and out the door. They stopped at Erin's home briefly to change before rushing to store. Bundle in their coats, they eagerly greeted customers as they dropped off toys for the Christmas season.

"Thank you," Erin said, perkily as a little girl handed her a bag full of Matchbox cars and Barbie dolls. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart!"

"The kids really gravitate towards you," Penelope commented, walking over to her.

Erin blushed. "It must be the grandmother in me."

Penelope grabbed her hand and squeezed it, sending the underlining sadness in Erin's tone. "I think it's your overall sweetness."

"Hello, ladies," JJ said, walking up to the two of them. She carried two large bags in her hands as she herded Jack and Henry, who were carrying bags of their own. JJ looked at the piles of toys stacked against the store wall. "Looks like you have quite a haul there."

"Hi, gumdrop!" Penelope replied, excitedly. She leaned over the table to hug JJ and the boys. "Little gumdrops. I think this might be our biggest year yet."

JJ dumped her bags on the table. She nudged the two boys to do the same. "We can't stay long. Jack still needs to pick up a gift for his dad, but we wanted to bring these."

Henry grinned at his godmother. "Merry Christmas, Aunt Penny! Merry Christmas, Aunt Erin!"

"Oh!" Erin gasped. It was the first time that Henry had referred to her as "aunt." She walked around the table to hug him. "Merry Christmas, Henry! Jack, Merry Christmas to you, too."

"Merry Christmas," Jack replied, politely. He grasped JJ's hand as the walked away.

Erin bumped Penelope with her hip. "So, what's up with that?"

"JJ baby-sitting Jack?" Penelope clarified. She shrugged when Erin nodded. "I don't know. I know that since Beth moved away and Will left, Hotch and JJ have been using each other as baby-sitters more often."

"So, they're not a couple?" Erin raised her eyebrow trying to appear stern, but her eyes were twinkling.

Again, Penelope shrugged. "With those two? Who knows. They could be married and expecting twins for all we'd know. I've never met two more private people in my life. I can't even get information out of Henry."

Erin laughed, throwing an arm around Penelope. "Maybe he just needs some time with his aunt Erin and her interrogation techniques. After all, I did raise three children of my own."

"I'll have to remember that... after the holidays," she replied, kissing Erin briefly. She turned when two more volunteers walked up. "Oh, look, our relief is here."

STEPHSTEPHSTEPHSTEPHSTEPHSTE PHSTEPHSTEPHSTEPHSTEPHSTEPHS TEPH

"Time to wake up," Penelope sang in Erin's ear early the next morning.

Erin swatted her away while covering her head with a pillow. "It's Christmas Eve, Penny, and neither of us has anywhere to be so why are you up so early?"

Penelope grinned. "Because it's Christmas Eve and we have things to do."

"I only have one thing to do and that's you," Erin replied seductively. "Get back into bed."

"I think we did enough of that last night," Penelope giggled. "Come on, we're going to make some Christmas candy."

Erin wiggled under the blanket. "Get back in here and we'll make some candy."

Penelope sighed. "If you don't get out of bed right now, I'm taking all of the covers off of you."

"I'm naked under here," Erin shot back.

"So?"

Erin rolled onto her back and stretched her arms over her head. "Do you really think you'll be able to pass this up? After all, I'm already _glistening_."

Penelope paused, licking her lips as she debated what to do. "Ah, hell. I knew you were going to win this round when I came back in here." She threw back the blanket and pounced on Erin, their giggles quickly turning into moans.

"Why are we making Christmas candy again?" Erin asked as she tied a red and green apron around her body. After their early morning presents, they had showered together before coming down to the kitchen. Erin watched with a wary eye as Penelope lined up ingredients from one end of the counter to the other.

"Because I always wanted to try it. Because it'll take your mind off your kids being away for Christmas. Because it'll give us something to bring to Dave's party on the 26th. Because it looks like fun," Penelope replied, distractedly, reading a recipe on her Kindle. "Take your pick."

Erin peered down at the recipes over Penelope's shoulder. "Some of these look complicated. Have you ever made candy before?"

Penelope shook her head. "But I have complete faith in us!"

"I'm glad someone does," Erin muttered before grabbing some of the pretzels and chocolate wafers. "I'm going to start with some chocolate covered pretzels, ease my way into it."

"Okay," Garcia said, cheerfully. She flipped on the old radio that Erin had in her kitchen and tuned it into one of the twenty-four hour Christmas stations. Penelope smiled when she heard Erin singing after a few minutes. "You have a beautiful voice, Erin. You should sing more often."

Erin blushed. "You tell me that every time that I sing."

Penelope nodded. "And it's always true."

"I remember one year when the kids were little - I bet Sarah wasn't even out of diapers yet - that we took the kids to one of those old time villages around the holidays. They had this Victorian carolers singing these old fashioned Christmas songs. Laura just fell in love with this one song 'In the Bleak Midwinter.' Have you ever heard it?"

"I don't think so."

Erin smiled lightly. "It's a beautiful song. Laura made us buy it for her. She played that tape until she wore it out." Erin wiped away a few tears. "It's hard to believe my little girl is all grown up with a little girl of her own."

Penelope wrapped her arms around Erin's waist. "An amazing little girl that loves her grandma more than just about anything in this world."

"Oh, you," Erin admonished, teasingly, even as she had to admit to herself that her granddaughter did prefer her to almost any other adult. "Come on. Let's get this candy made. I have plans for you by the Christmas tree later."

"Can't wait!" Penelope squealed. She gave Erin a quick peck on the lips before returning to her area. They spent the rest of the morning and half of the afternoon making a variety of Christmas candy. They sang the songs on the radio and exchanged stories of the holidays. Light strokes of skin and brief kisses were exchanged every time they passed within a foot of each other.

"Well, that's the last of it," Erin announced, putting the last of candy into a tin. She looked up to find Penelope staring hungrily at her. Erin bit her bottom lip. "Can I help you with something, Penny?"

She nodded. "You, me, under the Christmas tree right now."

Erin giggled as Penelope pushed her towards the living room. She put up mock resistance. "But I'm tired. We've been making candy all day and – oh!"

She gasped suddenly when Penelope boldly stuck her head down Erin's skirt, brushing her fingers over Erin's mound. Penelope removed her hand and slowly licked her fingers. "Mm. Sweeter than honey."

Erin felt her knees give out. She fell into Penelope's arms, allowing herself to be led to the living room under a barrage of kisses. She closed her eyes as Penelope lowered her to the floor in front of the Christmas tree. It wasn't long before the Penelope's tongue had the Christmas lights over their heads spinning.

"I don't think I can move," Erin gasped, her breasts jiggling as her chest heaved.

Penelope hovered just to the side of her, running her fingers up and down Erin's body, languidly.. "But, honey, you're going to have to. We've got to get you into a shower. You're a mess."

Erin pulled Penelope's head down to her own. She licked Penelope's chin, tasting her juices before giving her a quick kiss. "So are you, my love."

"Come on." Penelope stood, dragging Erin up with her. She gathered Erin's clothing and pestered her up the stairs and into the shower. The shower only reinvigorated Erin and she soon had Penelope caroling out.

"You weren't serious about the big Christmas dinner tonight, were you?" Erin asked, standing in front the mirror, adjusting her hair. She had inexplicably put nice clothes back on, even though their plans were only to cuddle on the couch, watching movies.

Penelope paused smoothing her colorful Christmas sweater. "No. Well, not tonight, anyway, but we are doing it tomorrow, even if it means eating leftovers for two weeks. I grabbed Chinese for tonight."

Erin smiled. "Sounds like the perfect way to spend Christmas Eve." She grabbed Penelope's hand and held tight as they ventured back down the stairs. They turned towards the kitchen, only to stop when the doorbell rang. Erin turned to Penelope, surprised. "Any idea who that could be?"

"Not one," Penelope replied, equally confused.

Shrugging, Erin went to the door. She opened it to find all three of her children, her son-in-law, and her granddaughter on the other side. Erin's mouth fell open. "What are you doing here?"

"Grandma!" Olivia shouted, jumping into Erin's arms. Erin showered her with kisses, even as she looked questioningly at her children. Olivia looked over Erin's shoulder to see Penelope standing there. She wiggled. "Aunt Penny!"

Penelope took her from Erin, kissing her. "Hi, Peanut!"

"Come on, Livvy," Olivia's father, Nick, said, knowing the others needed to talk. "Let's go get something to drink in the kitchen."

"Okay!" the excited two-year-old shouted, leaping to her father.

Erin turned back to her kids as Olivia and Nick disappeared. "Come in. It's cold out there."

Sarah and Brian turned to Laura, the oldest, to be the spokesperson. Laura took a deep breath. "I know that we should have called and not just shown up here."

"You are always welcome here," Erin interrupted, enthusiastically. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Penelope nodding vigorously.

"We know. And we know that we were supposed to be with Dad since we had Thanksgiving with you, but..." Laura's voice trailed off.

Penelope stepped forward. "Whatever it is, it can't be that bad."

Laura shot her a grateful smile. "It was awful, Mom! Dad's new girlfriend is just such a bitch! She was mean Sarah. She flirted with Nick. She tried to one-up Brian and I. And she ignored Olivia completely except when Olivia spilled juice on the carpet. She made her cry."

"She had my baby in tears?" Erin repeated with thinly veiled disgust. She balled her hands in anger.

"Yeah, and Nick and I were about to lay into her when Brian did it. You would have been proud, Mom. He really lit into her."

Erin shot her son a grin, causing him to duck his head. "What did your father do?"

Sarah rolled her hands. "He defended the hoe, said that we were ungrateful brats and blamed all of our bad traits on you. That's kind of when Laura lost it."

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry." Erin wiped a tear away from her daughter's eye. "I know how close you and your father are."

"Not anymore," Laura told her, firmly. "I don't want to have anything to do with him while he's with that woman."

Erin gave her an understanding smile. "You may change your mind."

"But in the meanwhile," Penelope said, stepping forward when she saw Laura gearing up to argue, "you are more than welcome to spend the holidays with us. We were going to eat Chinese and watch movies on the couch."

"That sounds wonderful, Penny," Laura replied. "Thank you."

Laura and Sarah quickly made their way to the kitchen, leaving Erin, Penelope, and Brian alone. Erin cradled her son's face in her hands. She was always close with her children, but her and Brian had a special relationship. She knew that most people assumed it was because he was her only son, but it was actually because he was born early with the cord wrapped around his neck. Very few people knew that it was touch and go for his first few days. That made her more protective of him and their bond was forged early on.

"It was ugly, Mom," Brian admitted after a few moments of silence. "I don't think I've ever been so angry. I know we shouldn't put you in the middle, but we didn't know where else to go."

"You listen to me, you beautiful boy," Erin lectured. "This is your home. You are always welcome here."

Brian hugged her, whispering, "Thank you." He moved to Penelope next, squeezing her tight. "Thank you, too, Penny, for letting us intrude on your Christmas."

Penelope pulled just far enough away to look him in the face. "Intrude? Honey, you're family. You just made our Christmas. I hope you guys are planning on spending the night. We have a huge dinner planned for tomorrow."

"I am so glad that you and Mom found each other. I'm glad you're part of our family," he answered, before following his sisters into the kitchen.

"For the record, I am, too," Erin told her, sidling up to Penelope. She kissed Penelope's cheek. "In fact, I'd like to ask you a question."

"There's actually something I've been wanting to ask you, too, and I think now is the perfect time."

They turned away and back to each other at the same time, each holding out a palm with a small, velvet box. Erin and Penelope each gasped at the other's box.

"Erin."

"Penelope."

"Will you marry me?" they asked together. They paused before bursting out with laughter.

"Why are they laughing?" Olivia asked from the doorway.

Brian picked her up and tickled her. "I'm pretty sure that Aunt Penny is going to be Grandma Penny pretty soon."

Erin glanced at her children, warmth spreading across her chest as she saw only approval in their eyes. She bit her bottom lip as looked back at Penelope. "Yes."

"Yes," Penelope repeated, giving her answer as well. Shaking, they put their rings on their perspective fingers. Penelope pulled Erin in her arms, kissing her intensely.

"Keep it PG, ladies," Laura teased. "There is a two-year-old here."

Sarah scoffed. "Just because you're an old married woman not getting any doesn't mean that Mom shouldn't while she can."

Erin blushed. "Sarah!"

"I'll have you know that I get plenty," Laura shot back.

"Plenty what, Uncle Brian?" Olivia asked.

Brian froze. "Um, plenty of back rubs, Peanut."

Nick shook his head. "I always forget how much fun it is to have the whole family together."

"It's tons of fun," Sarah replied, slapping her brother-in-law on the back. "What would you do with out us, Nicky?"

"Can we eat now?" Laura asked, heading back towards the kitchen with the others in tow. "I have a huge crazy for that General Tso's chicken."

"Craving? As in _craving_?" Sarah demanded.

Erin and Penelope looked at each other, wide smirks on their faces. Erin hugged her, hoping to convey the depth of her happiness to Penelope. Yesterday, she had been depressed over missing the holidays with her children, but now, she had them all in her home with the news that she would be a grandmother once again soon. She had the woman she loved in her arms and a ring on her finger. She couldn't imagine life any better than it was just then. "Merry Christmas, Penelope."

Penelope placed a soft kiss upon her lips. "Merry Christmas."


End file.
